Michel Debost
Michel Debost was a graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, where he later succeeded Jean-Pierre Rampal as Professor of Flute. He taught at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio for 22 years and was Principle Flutist in the Orchestre de Paris for 30 years.
Flute Talk, September 2012, April 2013
“The most natural way to breathe is comparable to what we do when we are not aware of it, such as when we read a bulletin board or newspaper, or while waiting for the bus.
An open- throated breath produces the “HHAAH” sound, which is the sign of the best air intake. Yawning is the best way to feel and observe the process of breathing.
We tend to use slurp breaths – breathing with a half-opened mouth produces a slurping sound. Their ugly noise is heard during the course of phrasing or when there is little time to breathe. However, the “HHAAH” sound, accomplished by dropping the belt for breath, is the fastest, most silent and most efficient.
Once good breathing has been mastered, breaths need not be huge (unless a long phrase demands it). In actual playing, air management and control of the airflow follow naturally.”
- If you do not need a big breath do not take one. A middle/average breath is easier to focus.
- If you do need to play a long phrase, at first, save your air by barely blowing, thinking only of focus and then blow what you have got left at the end.
Kincaidiana by John Krell
William Kincaid talked about the diaphragm as being the flutist’s bow. Like a string player moving their bow through a phrase, the flutist must learn to use the diaphragm to create a supported sound. He says that it takes more than a shallow, conversational breath to produce a convincing, live tone on the flute. At all times the diaphragm must be held firm and it must be controlled so that you can push for intensity, support for continuity of sound and give little kicks for staccatos or gentle nudges for expressive accents. He also reminds us to keep our chest up and not let the rib cage movement restrict the control of the air stream. Pp. 2-4
When planning your breaths Kincaid reminds you to avoid breathing on the bar line unless:
- The phrase ends on a relatively long note
- The same note or chord is repeated across the bar line
- If the phrase definitely ends within the bar line
p. 47
“Always breathe soon enough and on a point of rhythm. Because of an honest attempt to give full value to the release note, wind players are chronically late on the following entrance. Adjust by discreetly stealing breath time from the release note. Give attention to the manner of the release which is as much an ingredient of musical punctuation as the attack. (Make sure that the end of the note is always left open and never dampened by any action of the tongue or lips.) There are times, again for reasons of punctuation, when you must give the impression of a breath even through it is not necessary or desirable; in these circumstances learn to simulate the impulse of a breath.” P. 56
Arnold Jacobs
Flute Talk Magazine, March 2007
Famous tuba player and teacher, who researched and wrote about breathing as it pertains to wind and brass playing.
Singing with the vowel “O” in your mind will help a flutist blow freely, so does pretending there is no flute and blowing at an object much further away. Flute players should exaggerate this action and walk around the house blowing at things. This is education of the anatomy and has nothing to do with flute playing. This will get you to release your internal closures.
Here are some exercises for practicing breathing in music:
Intermediate Level –
Platonov
Thirty Studies for Solo Flute
Edited by Ervin Monroe
#6 in a minor – Practice quick breaths.
#28 in d minor – Good for practicing speed and breathing.